Impressions of Cardiology

Shadowed Dr. A in Cardiology consultation today. Rounded with two residents and the attending cardiologist for about 3.5 hours, saw several patients in both the wards and the ICU. The cases were exciting and the pathophysiology was complex. For instance, saw one patient who had non-small cell lung carcinoma that had caused fluid to accumulate in his pericardium (called tampinade) which was restricting his cardiac output. The treatment

I saw several really positive things about cardiology which I liked:
First, the attending was an EXCELLENT doctor, perhaps one of the best that I have seen in action. He genuinely cared about his patients and his students, even noticing and changing minute details that would help the patient feel more comfortable while receiving care (such as allowing a patient to use an innocuous nebulizer because she thought it helped her breathe better). Second, I liked the intellectualism and problem-solving. I liked the applicability of it all, that the concepts in physiology we learn in class were really used to diagnose and model what was going on in someone else’s chest and body! I also liked the importance and meaningfulness of it all. The cardiologist or internist is like the brain and the mouth of medicine. Without their diagnosis, achieved through careful observation, reasoning and testing, there is no telling what kind of heart treatment or surgery to give. There is the opportunity and risk of making decisions that have a high impact on a patient’s well being. Innovation in technology have made “seeing” the heart much more easy although diagnosis remains a real challeng. There is the opportunity to deliver very important news in a very simple way to a patient or a patient’s family which itself is an interesting and fascinating prospect.

Overall, I was very intrigued by this experience and it makes me want to seek more in the way of examining speciallties closer to internal medicine.